Receptacle cover



g- 1932- D. A. SPRlGlNGS RECEPTACLEI COVER Filed July 22, 1951 .7 @m ch Patented Aug. 9, 1932 iTED STATES DAVID A. SPBIG-INGS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO STIOKNEY & POOR SPICE 00., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS RECEPTAGLE COVER Application filed July 22, 1931.

My invention relates to receptacles, such as cans, for spices and other materials, which receptacles are provided with sifting tops and the principal object of my invention is to provide such a receptacle with a top which will not permit undesired sifting and consequent waste of material and which will be efficient in operation, durable and inexpensive to manufacture.

A feature of my invention is a cover having openings of difierent sizes, these openings being controlled by a sliding dredge located beneath the cover, this structure providing a very tight fit.

Another feature is the formation of the dredge and of the cooperating portion of the cover to prevent undesired sifting out of the material.

Another feature is a spring to hold the dredge tightly against the cover.

Other features will be pointed out below.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan of a device embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the same, partly in section; and

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1.

The receptacle cover 1, preferably of metal, is to be applied as usual to the body 2, the latter holding spices or other material. The cover is provided with a plurality of small perforations 3 to be used when a relatively small quantity of material is to be removed and is provided with a relatively large perforation 4: to be used when a relatively large quantity of material is to be removed. The cover 1 is also provided with a slot 5 for a purpose to be presently described and is further provided with grooves 6 and 7 on its lower face.

The sliding dredge member 8 has its edges 9 and 10 bent up to enter the grooves 6 and 7 and to fit tightly against the inner walls of said grooves to prevent undesired sifting, which is likely to occur if the material can get between the dredge and cover and thence sift out through the perforations 3 and 4:, said walls acting also as guides for the dredge, which is held to the cover by a finger Serial No. 552,385.

member which has a knob 11 above the cover and which has a shank portion 12 extending through, and fitting, slot 5, this shank hav= ing a reduced portion 13 extending through, and fitting, an opening in dredge member 8 and'b-eing upset at let beneath the dredge.

The dredge member 8, which is preferably of very thin metal, has its central portion bent downward at 15'to form a spring, the portion 14 being upset tightly beneath portion 15 so that the dredge 8 is held under the influence of the spring portion 15 tightly up against the inner walls of the grooves 6 and 7, the knob 11 engaging the top of the cover reasonably tightly so that the knob may be used to move the dredge with desired facility but at the same time the dredge will fit sufficiently tightly beneath the cover to prevent undesired sifting, whether the perforations 8 or a are covered by the dredge or not.

The dredge member 8 is so formed that when it is in the position shown in Figure 1, that is, the position of nonuse, it closes perforations 3 and 4 and prevents escape of the material through them, but when it is slid upwardly in Figure 1, by means of knob 11, it will permit desired escape of a relatively large quantity of the material through perforation 4 and when it is slid downwardly in Figure 1 it will permit desired escape of a relatively small, and finely divided, quantity of the material through perforations 3.

Among the advantages of my cover I may point out that it most effectually prevents undesired sifting or escape of the material and also lacks any guiding means about which material may collect and on which the finger of the user may catch.

An advantage of having my dredge member imperforate is that I avoid the expense of perforating it.

An advantage of my grooves intermediate of the edges of the cover at one face of the cover with corresponding raised portions at the other face is that the grooves provide a tight fit to prevent sifting and also act as guides for the bent up edges of the dredge while the raised portions reenforce the cover so that the dredge may operate efficiently crosswise of the dredge with consequent compactness and consequent saving of the material of the dredge.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a cover having perforations; a dredge member slidably mounted on the the cover to close said perforations as desired, said dredge being provided with a spring, the latter being movable bodily with the dredge; and means cooperating with said spring portion to hold the dredge member tightly to the cover.

2. A device of the character described comprising a cover having perforations; a dredge member slidably mounted on the cover tov close said perforations as desired, said dredge member being of thin metal and having its central portion bent away from the cover to form a spring; and means cooperating with saidbent portion to hold the dredge tightly to the cover.

3. A device of the character described comprising a cover having perforations and having raised portions at one face of the cover intermediate of the edges of the cover, said raised portions forming grooves at the other face of the cover; a dredge member slidably mounted at the other face of the cover, said dredge member having a portion bent into, and tightly fitting a Wall of, each of said ooves; and means to hold said dredge in slidable relation to the cover.

DAVID A. SPRIGINGS. 

